International Confex at Earls Court on 21-23 Feb 2006

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This month we hand the microphone over to the team at International Confex who tell us all about the benefits you, event organisers, can derive from visiting the show at Earls Court at the end of February.

Confex is one of many shows that take place throughout the year that have event organisers as their target audience. Joining it in the roster are, among others, RSVP, The National Venue Show, London Venue Expo and Times Crème. All of them have their particular angles and specialities and I would say that they are all worth a visit.

It may seem odd that the editor of a newsletter that supports an internet venue finding service should encourage his readers to use what could be construed as a rival medium to help them with their work.

We have seen how the internet is rapidly replacing traditional methods of sourcing products. Who could possibly have imagined a few years ago that we would think nothing of buying food, drink, CDs, holidays, clothes and a host of other stuff simply by pressing a few buttons on our desk in our living room?

As far as the events industry is concerned, life seems to be easier for the busy organiser. If you want a wedding caterer you simply search for them online. Need a contractor to build your display? Look on the internet. Indeed, the Venues.org.uk website shows how simple and efficient it is to search for venues from the comfort of your home or office.And yet, I passionately believe that exhibitions still have a highly important role to play in the process.

Events are about human contact and interaction. Every event that you, our readers, organise will consist of a group of people coming to a venue and ‘doing something’ together. This could be witnessing a wedding, learning at a conference or seminar, seeing a "product launch":http://www.venues.org.uk/searches/product_launch_venues.asp, the list is endless. The industry is based squarely on its people.

Therefore I urge you to look for your prospective venues on our website and find those that appear to best match your requirements. Then, go along to an exhibition and meet the staff of those venues. The one service the internet can’t offer you, yet, is that of getting to know the people you will be dealing with. At a show like Confex it is likely that a good number of your venues are exhibiting, something that gives you the opportunity to meet them in one day, all under one roof.

Once found, you can talk to your new contacts and really get a feel for how they would look after your event.

I think it’s a great combination and one that deserves to thrive. After all, in the modern age, marketing is all about using several channels, not just one. So, there is room for several media. Enjoy the show!